“He was on the cover of the Air Force pamphlet for pararescue,” Disney said. “His face and how he appeared in that picture is what made me want to be a PJ [pararescueman].”

Disney plans to honor his friend when he accompanies a group of airmen getting ready to leave on an expedition to climb Mount Everest.

“In his memory, I haven’t told anybody this, but I’m going to bring a picture of him and hand it to one of the climbers to leave on top of the mountain,” Disney said. “When they do memorial pushups on top of the mountain, I want them to do one for Mike.”